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AUTHORS: Scott Malotka, Robert Sorensen - Minnesota State University, Mankato
ABSTRACT: Larval trematode communities within their molluscan hosts represent excellent systems for ecological study. Community structure in free-living organisms often is influenced by competition, but past literature suggests that competition does not play a structuring role in the communities of freshwater snails due to the influence of spatial and temporal differences. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to determine the factors that could play a role in component communities of trematodes in 3 species of freshwater snails (Lymnaea elodes, Lymnaea stagnalis, and Helisoma trivolvis) during the month of August. A total of 556 snails were collected from Lake Winnibigoshish, Minnesota on August 9, 2016. Snails were transported back to the lab on ice and then isolated in 2 mL plastic containers and examined for shed cercariae. Cercariae were isolated and observed in live mounts with neutral red stain to help facilitate identification. Preliminary identification of cercariae revealed members of the family Echinostomatidae, Schistosomatidae, and Strigeidae. Interestingly, these results show a high prevalence of infection during the month of August for trematode species that are known to infect waterfowl, where other literature reports have shown these waterfowl trematodes to display higher prevalences later in the year during fall months. Overall, these results provide possible hypotheses that could describe larval trematode community structure during the month of August at Lake Winnibigoshish, MN.
